In an emotional social media post, Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late Australian wildlife presenter Steve Irwin, disclosed her decade-long struggle with endometriosis.
Irwin, who is 24 years old, has recently undertaken surgery to alleviate her symptoms of “insurmountable fatigue, pain, and nausea.”
Alongside a photo of her in a hospital bed, the Australian TV personality and wildlife expert wrote on Instagram that after numerous tests, scans, and medical visits, one physician told Irwin that her symptoms were “simply something you deal with as a woman.”
She wrote, “I completely gave up attempting to function through the pain.”
Irwin decided to have surgery on the advice of a friend. “Surgery was terrifying, but I knew I couldn’t continue living the way I was. “The pain was tearing apart every aspect of my existence,” she told her 5.1 million followers.
She reported that physicians discovered 37 lesions and a chocolate cyst, which is an ovarian cyst filled with menstrual blood.
She continued, “I’m on the road to recovery, and the gratitude I feel is overwhelming.”
“I am aware that millions of women struggle with a comparable story. There is a stigma surrounding this terrible disease.
“I’m sharing my tale for anyone reading this who is quietly coping with pain and has no answers. This should serve as confirmation that your pain is genuine and that you deserve assistance.”
Endometriosis is a chronic condition in which tissue identical to the uterine lining grows in other organs, such as the fallopian tubes and ovaries.
There is no known cure, but symptoms can be alleviated.
According to the World Health Organization, one in ten women and females of reproductive age are affected. Endometriosis UK estimates that 1.5 million women in the United Kingdom are affected by the condition.
